Situation Evaluation
Maria also states that n her department, she stand alone as the only individual of Latin descent as well as the only individual of color and the only female. And also adds that her mediocre job assessments were culturally bias because her immediate supervisor is a White male just as Alex. Maria also offers that her immediate boss told her that her accent is a cause for concern as it pertains to any potential client of the company. She explained that he was fearful that the clients would not understand her because of her accent.
Maria was furious so she lodged an additional complaint against the company for displaying discriminatory practices. Maria’s upper management reports that she possesses a fair quality of work, however she frequently exhibits a brash and hostile attitude when dealing with her co-workers and supervisors. She has been reprimanded on a few occasions by her immediate boss for lateness and absences. She astutely combated each reprimand with an excuse of family issues. Maria would always defend that when or if her family is in trouble, she would have to attend to their needs.
When the topic of her accent was brought up, it was explained that the accent was a significant factory in obtaining the particular position therefore, no discriminatory raciest were conducted by the organization. Maria habitually spoke very fast, and when she spoke in such a manner, comprehending what she was saying due to her accent was almost impossible. The company declared that the ability to communicate clearly was an essential aspect of the job in question. The purpose of the paper is to discover if there are indications of organizational or personal discrimination or prejudicial attitudes involved in Maria’s complaint.
Also, if there is any suggestion that Maria was unjustly or unlawfully treated. And if the company has a legal basis to expect Its employees who converse specifically with customers to speak accent free English. This paper also will offer some approaches to take which can proven any such events from transpiring in the future. Prejudice and Discrimination As Maria is the only female of Latin decent in her department, the existence of prejudice and discrimination due to race and gender could be an issue. To substantiate any such claim, prejudice and discrimination has to be defined.
Prejudice is an unjustified or incorrect attitude towards an individual based merely on the individual’s race, gender, or creed (McLeod, 2008). It may be directed toward a group or an individual of that group. Discrimination is an unfavorable action, behavior, outcome, or treatment directed against and individual or group (McLeod, 2008). The difference between the two is that prejudice is a belief or mindset and discrimination is the manifestation of tall belief or mindset. Prejudice in the case would be very difficult to prove unless a discriminatory act has been committed.
Hypothetically speaking, if Maria was called employee X and Alex employee Y and each of their performances and evaluations were examined, employee Y would be considered for the promotion over employee X hands down. Therefore, an investigation would most likely determine that there is no conclusive evidence that shows organizational or personal prejudice or discrimination towards Maria. Moreover, a statement from a possibly disgruntled employee would not be enough to prove unjust or unlawful treatment toward the employee.
Unaccented English To totally satisfy Maria’s complaint, the question, “Is the company violating any lawful regulations because it expect its employees who converse specifically with customers to speak accent free English” must be answered. According to Title VII of the Act of 1964, a company can put an individual’s accent under scrutiny when the individual’s accent directly hinders the individual from performing a specific job (EEOC, 2014). This consideration is contingent upon the explicit responsibilities for the duty to be performed and the magnitude of the individual’s accent influencing the capacity to conduct business.
Although Maria has been with the company for 10 years and her accent was not a hindrance to her current position, her accent could cause confusion for the clients if she is in the position in question. Since the company acknowledged that a requirement for the position was to speak fluent English, and according to the National Origin & Employment Policies/ Practices under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the company is within legal rights. The company is under no legal law to promote Maria into the position in question.
The company can however promote her into a position with the same prestige as the other and this position will not require her to interact directly with the clients. This will create a win-win situation for everybody. Consequences of Prejudice and Discrimination Although no wrong doing by the company was proven, the mere mention Of discriminatory practices could cause a company to falter. The productivity of the employee in question as well as other employees have the possibility to diminish.
This reaction alone may trigger a downward spiral for revenue, which could chase away potential investors who may have been interested in the business. Not to mention, the U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), U. S. Department of Labor, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFFICE) and Wage and Hour Division (WAD) will have a scrutinizing eye on every business practice the company may implement (Mayhem, 2014). No organization want to go through anything like this.
That is why it is imperative for every member within a company to be well abreast that diversity is very prevalent in almost every organization in today society. Furthermore, under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, people who are discriminated against can initiate court proceedings towards a company. And if substantiated, the complainant can recoup money for any damages rendered by the company as it relates to discriminatory practices (Scott, 014). This can open the door for others who may have felt discriminated against to file complaints, which could lead to a very messy situation for a thriving organization.
Solutions to Prevent Discrimination in the Workplace Education: everyone must be aware of cultural diversity in the workplace, which simply means understanding that people are different and should be treated as such. There is a well-known saying, “team work makes the dream work,” which means to work well with a person, one must know and trust a person. If equal and fair treatment is not practiced, discrimination will not be reverted it will be just getting started.
Confrontation: anyone witnessing any signs of discrimination should openly acknowledge it and “nip it in the bud,” in essence, stopping it before it gets started. Research has shown that making people aware of a discrepancy between their discriminatory behavior and their egalitarian self-concept can lead to self-dissatisfaction and subsequent reductions in discriminatory responding (Divine, Mennonite, Suzerain, and Elliot (as cited in Good, Raisin, and Sanchez, 2012)). Music: as music can sooth the savage beast, it can also sooth the souls of people who possess rejoice and discriminatory attitudes.
In fact, Mark Cliches, a psychotherapist in New York City and the author of Healing from Family Rifts offers, “music can be a salvation and antidote to most psychological challenges: that’s why people sing in the shower and while driving the car, or simply listen to music that’s inspiring and distracting from emotional upset” (Cliches, 2008). No matter if discrimination or any unfair treatment was found to substantiate Maria’s claim, the company in question can and will prosper through the implementations of the aforementioned solution to prevent discrimination in the workplace.
Top managers within an organization must play an active role in interacting with the employees as it relate to cultural differences. This will promote cultural harmony and bring an understanding to all that everybody has to Stay mindful Of the other guy. Conclusion In the cultural diverse environment, someone will feel discriminated against for one reason or another. Fifth truth is told, it may be next to impossible to please everybody all the time. This could lead to alienation, frustration, separation, and termination. Unfortunately, prejudice and discriminatory thoughts as well as actions of such do exist in the workplace.
Organizations can and will go tumbling down which could cause a lot of innocent people some unnecessary hardship. It could be a horrible feeling to think a person cannot advance because someone may not like them just because they are different. Nothing good can come from a company that overlooks prejudice and discriminatory behavior exhibited by the members within that company. Let us stamp out this ugly form a degradation before it ever gets started. It is going to take education, confrontation, and annihilation through music to rid or prevent this unspeakable form of injustice which is known as workplace coordination.
